Flight path calculating and searching method of a unmanned aerial vehicle with regenerative fuel cells and solar cells for high altitude long endurance, and a searching apparatus thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10515556-B2
Application number	US-201715435225-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2017
Priority date	Feb 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a flight path calculating method for high altitude long endurance of an unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a modeling step, a simulation step, and an analyzing step, and may be configured in a program form executed by an arithmetic processing means including a computer. a flight path searching method and a flight path searching apparatus for performing continuous flight path re-searching on the basis of information measured in real time during a flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the stratosphere to change a flight path so that the unmanned aerial vehicle may permanently perform long endurance in the stratosphere is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flight path calculating method for high altitude long endurance of an unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells, configured in a program form executed by an arithmetic processing means including a computer, comprising:
a modeling step of performing modeling by receiving amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen during the daytime and amounts of consumed hydrogen and oxygen during the night through a regenerative fuel cell system, and an amount of generated power through a solar cell system supplying required power for the high altitude long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells;
a simulation step of performing a simulation for amounts of consumed hydrogen and oxygen and amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen depending on a plurality of preset flight paths having a change in a flight altitude using the regenerative fuel cell system and the solar cell system depending on a modeling result in the modeling step; and
an analyzing step of calculating a flight path with the largest value when the amounts of consumed hydrogen and oxygen are subtracted from the amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen using a simulation result value for the amounts of consumed hydrogen and oxygen and the amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen depending on the plurality of preset flight paths having the change in the flight altitude in the simulation step.

2. The flight path calculating method for high altitude long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells of claim 1 , wherein at the time of a climb flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells, required power is defined as P climb =TV=DV+WV sin θ through the following motion Equation:
T=D+W sin θ

at the time of a level flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells, required power is defined as

P
level

=

TV
=

2
⁢

W
3

⁢

C
D
2

ρ
⁢

⁢

SC
L
3

through the following motion Equation:

T
=

D
=

W

C
L

/

C
D

,

and
at the time of a glide flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells, glide velocity is defined as

V
glide

=

2
⁢
W
⁢

⁢
cos
⁢

⁢
θ

ρ
⁢

⁢

SC
L

through the following lift force Equation:
L=W cos θ=1/2 ρV 2 SC L ,

where L is lift force, N,
D is drag force, N,
W is weight, N,
T is thrust force, N,
V is aircraft velocity,
C L is a lift coefficient,
C D is a drag coefficient,
ρ is an air density, kg/(m*s)
S is a wing area, m 2 , and
θ is an angle of a flight path, rad.

3. The flight path calculating method for high altitude long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells of claim 1 , wherein in the simulation step, for each of the plurality of preset flight paths having the change in the flight altitude, a simulation for amounts of hydrogen and oxygen generated using surplus energy remaining after the solar cell system supplies energy required in the unmanned aerial vehicle to the unmanned aerial vehicle through a water electrolysis system of the regenerative fuel cells during the daytime and amounts of hydrogen and oxygen consumed through the fuel cell system of the regenerative fuel cells during the night is performed.

4. The flight path calculating method for high altitude long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells of claim 1 , wherein in the analyzing step, altitudes at which the long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle is possible and times in which the long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle is possible are analyzed for each of the preset flight paths using a simulation performing result value in the simulation step to calculate the flight path most appropriate for the high altitude long endurance of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. A flight path searching method for an unmanned aerial vehicle based on regenerative fuel cells and solar cells, comprising:
a retained amount measuring step of measuring amounts of hydrogen and oxygen retained in a regenerative fuel cell system;
a modeling step of modeling the regenerative fuel cell system and a solar cell system supplying power required for the unmanned aerial vehicle to the unmanned aerial vehicle using amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen during the daytime and amounts of consumed hydrogen and oxygen during the night through the regenerative fuel cell system, and an amount of generated power through the solar cell system;
a calculating step of calculating required power and amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen and consumed hydrogen and oxygen depending on a plurality of preset flight paths having a change in a flight altitude on the basis of a measured amounts of retained hydrogen and oxygen using the regenerative fuel cell system and the solar cell system depending on a modeling result;
a specifying step of specifying a flight path with the largest value when the amounts of consumed hydrogen and oxygen are subtracted from the amounts of generated hydrogen and oxygen using a result value calculated in the calculating step; and
a changing step of changing the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle to the flight path specified in the specifying step.

6. The flight path searching method for

Assignees

• Korea Inst Energy Res

Inventors

• Kim Minjin
• Sohn Young-Jun
• Kim Seung-Gon
• Park Gu-Gon
• Bae Byungchan
• Yim Sung-Dae
• Park Seok-Hee
• Yang Tae-Hyun
• Lee Won-Yong
• Kim Chang-Soo
• CHA Moon-Yong

Classifications

• B64D2041/005

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• B60L58/30

  for monitoring or controlling fuel cells · CPC title

• B60L2200/10

  Air crafts · CPC title

• H01M8/04305

  Modeling, demonstration models of fuel cells, e.g. for training purposes · CPC title

• H01M2250/402

  Combination of fuel cell with other electric generators · CPC title